AP - Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. on Wednesday reported a 4 percent drop in net profit for the April-September half-year as the popularity of Voice over Internet Protocol and other cheaper services eroded earnings.

AP - Deutsche Telekom AG, Europe's biggest telecommunications company, posted its fourth straight quarterly profit Wednesday on rising sales in the United States but warned that more job cuts were in the offing and lowered its outlook for next year.

USATODAY.com - Animation studio Pixar said on Tuesday that third-quarter profit rose 22% on pay-TV sales for its film The Incredibles and a 10th-anniversary DVD of Toy Story. Meanwhile, EchoStar Communications' third-quarter earnings more than doubled, driven by double-digit revenue growth.

AP - Bayer AG, which makes health-care products and specialty materials, said Wednesday its third-quarter earnings rose dramatically because of higher demand for its medicines and plastics, along with gains from its pension program. The company also increased its guidance for the rest of the year.

AP - European Aeronautic Defence & Space Co., Europe's largest aerospace company, posted just a 1 percent rise in third-quarter net profit on Wednesday but raised its guidance for the full year due to an expected increase in Airbus plane deliveries.

AP - Australia's largest bank, National Australia Bank, reported Wednesday its annual net profit rose 30 percent to 4.13 billion Australian dollars, or $3.03 billion, after a slump in the previous year.

AP - Stock prices are slightly lower in early trading Wednesday. Just after the open, the Dow Jones industrial average is down 6.96 at 10,532.76, the Nasdaq Composite has dropped 1.22 at 2,170.85 and the Standard & Poor 500 index is off 0.50 at 1,218.09.

AP - Mittal Steel Co., the world's largest steel producer, said Wednesday its quarterly profit declined 64 percent following a rise in costs and a worldwide drop in prices.

AP - Marvel Entertainment Inc., licenser of Spider-Man, the X-Men and other comic book heroes, said Wednesday its third-quarter profit fell 32 percent as revenue plummeted, and forecast a dreary 2006 for licensing revenue.

AP - Shares of Pixar Animation Studios Inc. soared early Wednesday, a day after the studio behind films such as 'Finding Nemo' and 'The Incredibles' reported robust income in the latest quarter.

AP - Federated Department Stores Inc., operator of Macy's and Bloomingdale's department store chains, reported Wednesday its third-quarter profit climbed more than fivefold from last year, aided by a large gain from an asset sale. It reaffirmed its financial forecast for the fourth quarter. Its shares rose 3.3 percent in premarket trading.

AP - Auto-parts supplier Delphi Corp., which filed for bankruptcy protection last month, said Wednesday it lost $788 million in the third quarter, up substantially from a loss of $119 million last year.

AP - Deutsche Telekom AG, Europe's biggest telecommunications company, posted its fourth straight quarterly profit Wednesday on rising sales in the United States but warned that more job cuts were likely and lowered its earnings outlook for next year.

Reuters - Interpublic Group of Cos. Inc. , the world's third-largest advertising services company, on Wednesday posted a quarterly loss amid a series of high-profile client defections.

Reuters - King Pharmaceuticals Inc. on Wednesday posted a better-than-expected quarterly profit on strong sales growth of branded medicines, sending shares higher.

AP - Stocks barely moved Wednesday after PepsiCo Inc. reduced its year-end forecast, spooking investors who are already worried about consumer spending.

AP - Federated Department Stores Inc., operator of Macy's and Bloomingdale's department store chains, reported Wednesday its third-quarter profit climbed more than fivefold from last year, aided by a large gain from the sale of credit card accounts. Its shares rose more than 5 percent in morning trading.

AP - Bayer AG, which makes health-care products and specialty materials, said Wednesday its third-quarter earnings rose dramatically because of higher demand for its medicines and plastics, along with gains from its pension program. The company also increased its guidance for the rest of the year.

AP - U.S. Airways Group Inc., which combined with America West Holdings Corp. in September, on Wednesday posted a sharply wider third-quarter loss as merger-related expenses and fuel costs weighed on its bottom line.

AP - Stocks rose sharply Wednesday after a morning decline triggered program buying and short-covering.

Canadian Press - TORONTO (CP) - The Toronto stock market was little changed Wednesday morning as higher resource stocks balanced declining technology issues.

Reuters - Federated Department Stores Inc. , in the process of integrating its acquisition of May Department Stores, on Wednesday reported a surge in quarterly net income, boosted by its sale of credit card assets to Citigroup Inc. . Its shares rose more than 6 percent.

AP - Investment research company Morningstar Inc. reported an 83 percent jump in third-quarter profits Wednesday, continuing its success in its first year as a publicly traded firm.

Reuters - Advertising services company Interpublic Group of Cos. Inc. on Wednesday posted a larger-than-expected quarterly loss, citing high-profile client defections that will continue to pressure results next year, and its shares fell as much as 6 percent.

AP - Client defections and divestitures dragged down third-quarter revenue at The Interpublic Group of Companies Inc., but the advertising conglomerate still managed to sharply narrow its losses.

AP - US Airways Group Inc., which was bought by America West Holdings Corp. in September, on Wednesday posted a sharply wider third-quarter loss because of merger-related expenses and fuel costs.

Canadian Press - TORONTO (CP) - Stock markets struggled to rally Wednesday afternoon as the price of oil receded and investors tried to ignore some negative corporate news.

AP - Stocks advanced modestly Wednesday after a morning decline triggered program buying and short-covering.

AP - Auto parts supplier Delphi Corp., which filed for bankruptcy protection last month, said Wednesday its losses widened to $788 million in the third quarter, dragged down by labor costs and production cuts at its former parent, General Motors Corp.

AP - Federated Department Stores Inc., operator of Macy's and Bloomingdale's department store chains, reported Wednesday its third-quarter profit climbed more than fivefold from last year, aided by a large gain from the sale of credit card accounts to the nation's biggest banking company. Federated's shares rose more than 6 percent.

AP - Liberty Media Corp. said Wednesday it is focusing on the future of its interactive business, hiring a former Oracle Corp. finance chief to head the company and creating a tracking stock for the home shopping network QVC and related assets. It also said it swung to a third-quarter loss due to higher expenses.

AP - Investment research company Morningstar Inc. reported an 83 percent jump in third-quarter profits Wednesday, continuing its success in its first year as a publicly traded firm.

The Motley Fool - Caremark Rx (NYSE: CMX - News) continued its run of solid earnings reports with yesterday's third-quarter results. Nevertheless, the market bid the stock down in heavy trading, perhaps due to hypersensitivity to the firm's near-term growth prospects. For some investors, though, Wall Street's jitters could become an advantage.

AP - Bombings at three hotels in Jordan erased most of an afternoon rally on Wall Street Wednesday, leaving stocks with only marginal gains as fears about terrorism resurfaced.

Canadian Press - TORONTO (CP) - Gold and financial stocks awarded the Toronto stock market with a small advance Wednesday with the TSX held back by tech and energy stocks as the price of oil retreated.

AP - Whole Foods Market Inc., a natural foods grocery chain, on Wednesday said fourth-quarter profit slid sharply as costs related to Hurricane Katrina and stock-based compensation offset rising sales. Its shgares fell more than 2 percent in after-hours trading.

AP - Cisco Systems Inc. posted lower fiscal first-quarter earnings but higher sales Wednesday after the network equipment maker was required to take into account the expense of employee stock options for the first time.

AP - Client defections and divestitures dragged down third-quarter revenue at The Interpublic Group of Companies Inc., but the advertising conglomerate still managed to sharply narrow its losses.

AP - US Airways Group Inc., which was bought by America West Holdings Corp. in September, on Wednesday posted a sharply wider third-quarter loss because of acquisition-related expenses and fuel costs.

Reuters - Cyberonics Inc.'s chief executive on Wednesday said the number of psychiatrists prescribing its implantable neurostimulator to severely depressed patients is steadily increasing and the company could post a quarterly profit within a year.

AP - Liberty Media Corp. said Wednesday it is focusing on the future of its interactive business, hiring a former Oracle Corp. finance chief to head the company and creating a tracking stock for the home shopping network QVC and related assets. It also said it swung to a third-quarter loss due to higher expenses.

AP - Cisco Systems Inc. posted lower fiscal first-quarter earnings but higher sales Wednesday after the network equipment maker was required to take into account the expense of employee stock options for the first time.

AP - Marvel Entertainment Inc. reported a 32 percent plunge in third-quarter profit Wednesday and warned investors its earnings next year would fall well below analysts' forecasts as revenue dries up from the blockbuster success of Spider-Man 2.

AP - General Motors Corp. said Wednesday it plans to restate its earnings from 2001 because an accounting error led the company to overstate its earnings by up to 35 percent. In an unrelated action, Fitch Ratings lowered GM's debt deeper into 'junk' status Wednesday and the automaker's shares tumbled to a 13-year low.

Reuters - The dollar shuttled in narrow ranges near two-year highs against the euro and the yen on Thursday as dealers awaited trade figures to provide short-term direction for the U.S. currency.